User blog:Skylord Elberich/The (quite possibly, but it's not final) Final Showdown, and the events leading up to it (WIP)
Prologue In Necropolis, a ritual was being prepared. The Occultist had assembled an association of his acolytes to make sure it was succesful. As the rest of the Fear's eldritch coucil watched, they drew unearthly symbols on the cobbles, sacrificed their own blood to eldritch beings, and lit candles with a blasphemous flame. When all preparations were finished, the Occultist waved them away and began his unholy sacrament, performing deft hand movements, and chanting profane incantations. This went on for minutes, and all the while, the rest of the Fears gathered to the site to observe, and to see their colleges return from the alternate universe. After hours of such a sacrament, there was a flash of red light, and they all appeared. All but one. Chapter 1: The Return There was silence for a long while. It was a loud silence. Normally, Necropolis was a bustling city, but due to recent events, it seemed nearly deserted. The silence lasted for several minutes, before Cedar, the Fear of Control, asked "Where's Johann?" At that point, the rest of the Fears began to mutter amongst themselves. The Collector straightened his tie, stepped up, and responded "He is here with us." He then signalled to Diptera come to him. "Diptera, show them." Diptera reluctantly pulled a small jar from her coat, and showed it to the crowd. Within this jar was an entity comprised of teal light. The Fears recoiled in horror to see what had become of the Blind Man. The Occultist whimpered to himself "Nyarlathotep save us all" while the other Fears went in uproar. Fears have died before, but they were usually beginners who didn't know what they were getting into. They were almost never experienced, like The Blind Man was. But there was his soul, trapped in a jar. The Collector, tried to calm them, but flustered a little, saying "P-please, calm down, it's not too big a problem-" But the Fears were having none of it. They cried things like "We're all doomed" and "He was our only hope" and other such Nihilistic rants. Soon, other residents of Necropolis began to come out of their houses to investigate the comotion, and joined in after hearing of what happened. After a few minutes of this, The Collector looked to Diptera for help. Diptera sighed, and handed him the jar, though in reality she was looking forward to showing her new powers. She walked up to the rioting crowd and began emmiting purple vapours from her palm. When she saw that they did not take notice of this. She cracked her knuckles, loosened up, and began firing purple sparks from her fingertips, which soon grew to great magenta flames that exploded with a deafening bang and an icy, putrid blast of wind. Everyone looked on in a mix of respect and terror. save for the Occultist, who was amazed at such magic. Diptera, smug at herself, said to the Collector "all yours, Mr C." The Collector adressed the Crowd and began his speech. "Yes, I am afraid that Mr Solomon is dead," He began, solemnly "But, we have found a way to solve the current problem at hand." The people of Necropolis asked him how such a thing was possible, for the Problem was the Lamb, a monstrous side-product of God becoming God. "I will hold a town meeting" The Collector responded "Head to the city hall in two hours time, and all will be revealed." The crowd, satisfied, disipated. The fears then began to discuss funeral arangements and other such tedious things with the Collector. Diptera, not wanting to get pulled into such a boring conversation, sneeked away to find something to do. As she was looking in a shop window full of estoteric items, she heard a voice behind her say "Nice light show." When she turned around to see who was talking to her, she was greated by a handsome young man with grey hair and shabby clothing. Diptera became completely infatuated with this mysterious stranger. She attempted to ask who he was, but could only say "huuuh.." The stranger, know what she was trying to say, answered "The name's Anthony. You must be Diptera right?" Diptera, was shocked by this. "Yeah," Anthony continued "I have a messege from your-" "Antony?" They both turned to see Jill walking towards them. Antony looked puzzeled at the sight of her sister. "Jill?" Diptera was confused by the fact that Jill knew this stranger. She asked "You know this guy, Jill?" Jill looked at her and said "I should do. He's my brother." Diptera was lost for words. She wondered how many childeren the Collector actually had, or at least, how many he knew about. Anthony then asked his sister "How do you know her?" Jill responded, cofidently "She works for dad." Anthony was mildly shocked by this. "Huh. Small worlds after all" He muttered to himself. "Well, as I was saying, Diptera, I have a message from-" "Bloody Hell, Is that you Anthony?" The trio looked to see Jack, cleaning a pair of scissors. Anthony, rather miffed at being interrupted for a second time, said to Diptera "I presume you know my younger brother, Jack." Diptera nodded in confirmation, still quite speechless. Jack noticed his brother's shabby clothing, and said to him "You still wearing those old things?" Anthony told his brother "Where I've been these past few decades, I couldn't really find any new clothes. Or afford them." "Well," Jack said "You should come 'round to our establishment, and Jill and I will hook you up with something a little... less... dusty, and torn." Anthony was pleased. "Thanks" he replied "Now as I was saying, Diptera, I have a-" "By Dooling's Demons... Anthony?" "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!" Anthony shouted in exasperation. The Collector looked upon his eldest. "It is you!" He exclaimed in joy. "By God, your clothes look terrible. You should have Jack make you a-" "Yes, yes, it's all been arranged, after I give this message to your lackey I'm going to go down to Jack and Jill's place to get a new suit, now can you PLEASE just let me do it?" The Collector and his other two childeren complied, and Anthony handed Diptera a wax-sealed envelope. "This is from your mother." He said, and then he walked away with his siblings. Diptera, for the third time in less than a minute, was completely lost for words. She opened the letter, and read the contents. "That's mom alright" she muttered to herself. The Collector then snatched the letter from Diptera, read a little, and asked Diptera a series of questions: "Is your mother Spanish, by any chance?" "Uuh... yeah." "Does she have a penchant for gold and other precious metals and gemstones?" "No doubt about it." "Final question, does she have a peg leg?" "She has a missing leg, if that's what you mean." The Collector drew a breath, and said "Diptera... I know your mother." Diptera was awestruck. "You know my mom? When were you going to tell me this?" The Collector defended himself, saying "Look, this is a shock to me too! I didn't even know your mother was fertile!" He woke up about an hour later, lying face first on the gutter he was smacked into. "I deserved that" he admitted. "You bet your ass you did. Now what can you tell me about my mom that won't get you whacked?" "Well," The Collector began, as he wiped himself off "Your mother was a pirate duing The Golden Age of Piracy." As he finished saying this, a cannon could be heard in the distance. "In fact, that'll be her now." Chapter 2: Pirates! "So what else do you know about my mom that I might not?" Diptera asked as they ran toward Necropolis docks. The Collector thought a while, and said "Well, your mother worships Hastur the Unspeakable, and has a slight case of elriphobia." "Elri-what?" "Fear of the eldritch, Diptera. She always carries an elder sign with her, for protection." Diptera knew her mother was a little strange at the very least, but she didn't know she was this... weird. "Tell me more" she asked, ever curious. The Collector hesitated for a second, and said "There is some more information I have on her, but it's may be a bit overwhelming... so I shall let your mother tell you." Diptera sighed, and noticed they had arrived at the dock. She knew this because she was nearly smacked in the head with some airborne flotsam. "Holy crap!" She exclaimed, as a barrel almost smacked her in the gut. "Your mother did have a taste for chaos!" The Collector stated as a cannon ball nearly took the skin of the end of his nose. "Speaking of which, where the Devil is she?" "Right here, Salvadore!" A woman bellowed. It was Delfina Asturias. "Now, Salvadore," Delfina continued, as she walked right up to the Collector's face "Where is my daughter?" The Collector, standing his ground, replied "She's right here, beside me." He gestured at the confused and slightly angry Diptera, who was now staring at her mother coldly. "Hello, mother. Long time no see." She said, bitterly. She was upset with her mother, for taking so long to find her. Delfina's grin was replaced with an expresion of guilt. She only wanted to put things right with her daughter. "Adrianne, I-" she began, but before she could apologize, Diptera said "Too late for you to dry my tears, mom. They dried on their own. And by the way, It's DIPTERA." She then stormed off towards the local pub. Delfina was distraught. "My... my only daughter... hates me..." She then turned her attention to the Collector, who was backing away slowly. "You." Her crew stopped looting and pillaging, and turned her attention to the Collector as well. The Collector stuttered "N-now, now, D-Delfina, there's no reason t-to point any f-fingers..." But his plea fell on deaf ears. Delfina uttered a single command. "Grab him." "You 'eard the cap'n!" commanded first mate Andy Seight "GRAB 'IM!" The crew complied, rushing towards the poor Collector, grabbing his arms, and lifting him off the ground. "N-now, gentlemen" The Collector pleaded "I w-would greatly app-preciate it if you co-could let let me go" But they refused to listen, awaiting orders from their infuriated captain. Delfina grabbed the Collector's jaw, and hissed "If you don't tell me what you did to my daughter, I swear to El Rey de Amarillo I will slit your throat EAR TO EAR!" The Collector stared at her, not in fear, but in confusion. "I haven't done anything anything to her." He said, bemused. "What she does is of her own volition. You'd be proud of her, she's very much like yourself." Delfina let go of the Collector, and commanded her crew to do the same. Though bewildered by this, they complied. Delfina turned to Collector, and asked "Where is my daughter? I must make things right with her." The Collector pondered this for a moment, and then said "She seemed quite upset. She'll no doubt be trying to find some happiness at the bottom of a tankard at the local Wetherspoons." He then looked at Delfina's crew, and said "You lot will love it. Daytime drinking and everything." Andy Seight, upon hearing this information, turn to his crewmates and roared "T' WETHERSPOONS!!!" The pirates cheered in response, and rushed toward the general area of the establishment. "Right then," The Collector whispered to himself "What next?" Artemis suddenly appeared from nowhere in particular and grabbed his arm, tugging him towards the center of town, "You gotta see this, Collector," She said "They've finally come back!" "What? Who's come back? What are you talking about?" "The King 'n' Queen, o'course!" "Oh. Them." Chapter 3: King Quartz and Queen Opal As Artemis and The Collector approached the centre of the city, the sound of revelry became louder. This day had been long awaited, and perfect timing, as well. Necropolis needed something to raise its spirits, and what better than the return of the beloved King and Queen? When they eventually reached the city centre, they saw that almost the entire city was there, all to celebrate. There were streamers, fireworks, and confetti. Choirs sang songs of rejoicing, and various wizards and alchemists of varying species and livingness were performing tricks. Feasts were being held in the middle of the street, and the fountains were filled with wine and other alcoholic drinks. "At least we're rid of the pirates" The Collector muttered to himself. Then he saw them. They both looked rather ragged and scruffy; dormancy had not treated them well. King Quartz's robes were nearly brown with filth, and the helmet and chains he usually wore were rusted and corroded. Queen Opal, whose dresses were usually vibrant and as bright as her burning hair and flaming skin, had become drab and dirty, and her crown and jewelry had lost several of their gemstones. Their appearence was almost pitiful, but today was a day of celebration, and the smiled for their subjects, their children, and themselves. The Collector straightened his tie, and approached his former employers. "Good afternoon, your Majesties." He said, bowing in respect. "So glad that you returned safely. Would you like me to escort you home? You must be tired from your travels." But Quartz raised his hand to decline the offer, saying "Not necessary, Mr Darkest. My wife and I simply desire to share a meal with my wife. I heard there was a whetherspoons around here?" The Collector, knowing that the current patrons probably wouldn't take kindly to royalty, replied "I'm not entirely sure that's a good idea, your Majesty. After all, the current patronage is composed of a crew of pirates-" But Queen Opal did not care. "Pirates Schmirates!" She cried "All the merrier to drink with, really!" The Collector, knowing that he would lose this argument, finally backed down, saying "Alright. If it is as you desire, I will take you there." Quartz chuckled softly, saying "No need to look so worried, Mr Darkest. We can look after ourselves quite well!" And then, he revealed a great mace, nearly as big as a man's head, and covered in small, pointed studs. As it was raised aloft to the sky, a thunderbolt hit it, causing it to glow with a singular aura of strength. "Impressive." The Collector remarked. "And does her majesty have a weapon?" Opal responded by drawing her blade, a massive executioner's sword, with the end broken off to create a sharp point. The Collector could see that even a glancing blow could take off a sizeable chunk of flesh. "I actually fear for the pirates health, now." Said the Collector, chortling. As they approached the whetherspoons, which happened to be called 'The Lion of Judah' sounds of brawling could be heard. "Is it usually like this?" Opal inquired. The Collector whispered "Oh for fucks..." Then turned to the King and Queen and asked "Ready to test your mettle?" The King and Queen looked at each other, modded in agreement, and responded "Yes." The Collector said "Good. My apprentice is in there, and either she or her mother caused the brawl going on in that pub. Unfortunately, this means you will have to use stunning blows..." Upon hearing this, they sighed in disgruntlement. "But," The Collector continued "If you do kill anyone, for Zion's sake, make it look like an accident. And don't kill my apprentice! Or her mother." Opal raised her hand gingerly, and asked "Hang on, what does this apprentice look like." The Collector replied "She's the one wearing engineering PPE, and she'll probably beating someone's face in with a monkey wrench. And her mother is Delfina Asturias, y'know, the feared Captain Delfina Asturias, and rightly so. Now then, let's get messed up.. or rather, let's not!" As they ran into the pub, the Collector was knocked out cold. Chapter 3.5: The Dream As the Collector lie unconcious, he dreamed. "Good Day, Collector." An animate statue said- actually, no- not a statue, but a Gargoyle. "Not often you go to sleep at this time." "I didn't go to sleep" The Collector responded "I got punched straight in the jaw, and fell uncouncious because of it." The Gargoyle winced "That's gonna hurt when you wake up!" He mockingly remarked. The Collector sighed. "Look, I know why you're here, so just tell me already!" He snapped. "Ooh, tetchy much! Alright, then," The Gargoyle said "I'll tell you what I've come here to tell you. The Lamb must be weakened before you go sticking EMP-bombs in it's eyes." Before the Collector could ask, The Gargoyle continued "The answer to its incapacitation lies within the first four seals, but only the Lamb or the Lion can open them." The Collector pondered this for a few seconds, then asked "The Lion of Judah?" The Gargoyle rolled his eyes and said "No the lion in Chester friggin' Zoo- OF COURSE THE LION OF JUDAH, YOU TIT!!" The Collector was taken aback by this outburst. "Look, just find the Lion and the Book before the Lamb does, or else we're all fucked." The Collctor inquired "But where is the Lion? How can I find her?" The Gargoyle gave the Collector a mischeivous look, and said "You already have." He then showed the Collector a vision, a blind girl. "Hang on... I know that girl! Yes, she's Solomon's great-great-granddaughter, works for The Foundation! Her name..what was it..." And then he rembered "Charlotte Solomon." The Gargoyle said "It's time to wake up, Collector." be continued Category:Blog posts